World Photo Awards on show in SA

From the middle of August, Johannesburg audiences will have the rare opportunity to experience award-winning photography from one of the most prestigious international awards for the medium.

In collaboration with Creo and the World Photography Organisation, the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography will host an exhibition titled Decisive Moment: Sony World Photography Awards. Featuring selected winning images from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Awards, this landmark exhibition marks the first South African presentation of the globally recognised photography award.

Now in their 20th edition, the Sony World Photography Awards have set a leading standard for international photography recognition, continuing to discover and elevate the photographers shaping contemporary visual culture. More than 430,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted across the 2026 competitions, reflecting the scale and international reach of the awards.

From documentary and portraiture to wildlife, sport, landscape and creative photography, Decisive Moment brings together a wide range of subjects, cultures, environments and artistic approaches. Across human stories, the natural world, global events and the technical skill of an exceptional image, the exhibition reveals photography’s enduring ability to document, question, imagine and connect.

“To bring these images to Johannesburg is a real privilege,” says Roger Ballen, founder of the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography. “The exhibition gathers perspectives, stories, environments, cultures and artistic approaches from across the globe, and presents them in a city that is itself defined by complexity and diversity. We believe this exhibition will offer something meaningful to every visitor, while celebrating the extraordinary work of the Sony World Photography Awards.”

The exhibition will run from 15 August 2026 to 22 January 2027 at the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography in Forest Town, Johannesburg.

New Eyes: Supporting Emerging South African Photography

Running concurrently at the Centre will be New Eyes: The Roger Ballen Centre Photography Award, an exhibition dedicated to emerging South African photographers.

Established to platform the next generation of local photographic voices, the New Eyes Award gives selected photographers the opportunity to exhibit within a leading institutional setting, alongside some of the most recognised photographers to emerge from the Sony World Photography Awards.

This inaugural presentation brings together the work of Karabo Mooki,  D.M. Terblanche, and Zwelibanzi Zwane, whose practices reflect the vitality of contemporary photography in South Africa. The photographers were nominated by an esteemed panel comprising Emilie Demon, Michelle Loukidis and Jabulani Dhlamini. Each member brings a considered perspective shaped by their cultural work across photography, education and curatorship.

Together, the two exhibitions create a dialogue between international photographic excellence and the emerging voices shaping the future of photography in South Africa.

Public Programme

A substantial public and educational programme will form a central part of Decisive Moment and New Eyes. The programme will extend the exhibitions beyond the museum walls through activations, talks, walkabouts, workshops, masterclasses and educational engagements. Designed to deepen visual literacy and encourage closer engagement with contemporary photography, the programme will create opportunities for audiences, students and emerging photographers to explore the many ways photographs shape how we understand the world.

Regularly updated programme information is available through the Centre’s website and social media channels.